Ambulance RFP/Franchise

El Paso County ESA
Colorado Springs, CO

The Abaris Group began working with the El Paso County Emergency Services Agency (ESA) to help them develop an EMS system plan. Once that was completed, we were asked to assist in the development of a request for proposals (RFP) soliciting ambulance providers for Colorado Springs, Colorado. The work was unique in that the governmental entity requesting service was multi-jurisdictional (city and county governments). Before the RFP could be developed, an extensive review of public and private provider options and ratings system was required with a high priority towards maintaining a completely neutral perspective between the options for system configuration.

Working closely with the El Paso County ESA, we wrote a comprehensive RFP and assisted with the review of the submitted proposals. Due to the fairly litigious environment between the different prospective bidders it was imperative that the process proceed with no problems and no room for questioning the decision of the award panel.

Monterey County EMS Agency
Monterey, CA

The Monterey County EMS Agency requested a comprehensive analysis of the ambulance delivery system for the county, which has been fraught with controversy and lawsuits. After extensive research and meeting with key individuals, four regional councils and the Emergency Medical Care Committee, a final report on system design was prepared. The report called for a single ambulance franchise (there were four) in the core area to be based on a high-performance model. The recommendation included conducting an RFP process within the "fail-safe" model. The Abaris Group led the RFP process from the beginning (writing the RFP) to its conclusion (the final selection of an ambulance provider). This process included significant public entity coordination, the development of fire-agency sensitive bid specifications and significant review of fire-based proposals.

The final report included an important set of recommendations needed to establish a high quality, performance-based system. Separate studies on the EMS communication system, First Responder Master Plan and other key components have also been completed. An EMS plan has recently been drafted that establishes a framework for an integrated and cost-sensitive health-care delivery model.

Multnomah County EMS
Portland, OR

The Abaris Group worked with Multnomah County (Portland, OR) to develop and implement a countywide ambulance franchise for this urban community. We developed an RFP, obtained input, solicited bids, and selected a provider in less than 12 months. An extensive review of public and private provider options and ratings systems was conducted, which required a completely neutral perspective between the options of public or private agencies. The franchise was modeled after the "fail-safe" franchise model. The bidding and review process involved both private and public bidders.

Featured Projects

Emergency Preparedness Partner – Contra Costa County, California

The Abaris Group and Contra Costa County have been in an emergency preparedness partnership since 2005. During this time, Abaris has helped County staff write and manage a number of federal grants as well as develop disaster and emergency plans and exercises. These projects have included Medical Surge, Alternate Care Site (ACS), Field Treatment Site (FTS), Multi-Casualty Incident (MCI), and Medical Reserve Corp (MRC).

The partnership between The Abaris Group and the county resulted in a unique component for Contra Costa County's Medical Surge Plan - a partnership between the hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. During a surge event, skilled nursing facilities have volunteered to accept lower acuity patients thereby enabling hospitals to increase bed availability for acute patients. This creative thinking will provide over 650 surge beds during a disaster.

The Abaris Group's Studies for the California HealthCare Foundation

The Abaris Group recently completed four studies for the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF). They ranged in topics from telepsychiatry in the ED to freestanding EDs in California to reducing ambulance diversion in California to ED patient tracking systems. To view and download the reports, click here.